Ep. 49: Building a Positive Movement for Change with Sarina Farb of Born Vegan

Where I am now is I actually feel like, at least for me, change is a lot more possible when I'm creating something good and positive that I'm inviting people to join in and step into versus fighting the system.

Welcome to the Prosperous Woman Podcast. I'm Claire Sellers, a business mentor and coach who is absolutely obsessed with helping you create the business of your dreams and your most prosperous life. Tune in for inspiring conversations with extraordinary women that will propel you towards becoming the Prosperous Woman. Hello everyone, and welcome to the Prosperous Woman Show. I am so beyond excited to introduce you to my incredible Dream Accelerator client, Serena Farb. Serena, welcome to the show.

Thank you so much, Claire. I'm excited for this conversation.

Yay. Serena has been in the Dream Accelerator for 2 rounds now. She is a vegan lifestyle coach and community organizer. She has an incredible business and a nationwide recognized brand, and she just led an incredible vegan festival that was so fun for both of us to work on together. And we're gonna get into all things advocacy work. We're gonna talk about her journey with psychedelics and how that was really a guide for the new direction she took in her business when she came to me. And we're just gonna get into it. So I'm super excited. Serena, welcome.

Thank you.

Tell us, you have a very interesting upbringing.

Yeah.

I always like to start at the beginning, so take us back. Your brand is Born Vegan. You were literally born vegan. So talk to us about your upbringing and how your mission really began from birth.

Yeah, so my parents chose to raise me vegan from birth, and very unique upbringing, especially in the early 1990s in Kansas City, which is where I'm from. So, you know, people often hear And they're like, "Oh, you must have grown up in California or New York." And it's like, no, I was vegan in the Midwest when it was not very common or popular. So I grew up really learning a couple things. One, I really learned how to be okay being different from everyone else around me and being confident in sort of being the weird and different kid and embracing whether it's dietary, cultural, social, you know, just really embracing that we're all different and that's okay and a good thing to embrace. Mm-hmm. Race diversity, and it also taught me to really think for myself and just sort of not accept anything at face value and to kind of go deeper and question things. And I've really carried that with me my whole life. That was, that was the foundation. And, and a big piece of that foundation too was my parents teaching me to always stand for justice and speak up when I saw something that I thought was wrong. So kind of all those elements together have really made me passionate about veganism my whole life and speaking up for animals and the environment and educating others about our food system. And so done a lot of different things, but ended up then actually starting a YouTube channel, an Instagram page called Born Vegan, which for a long time, like that was my focus. I wasn't taking a business approach or anything. I was just making content and videos and sharing my perspective on the world with people.

I love it. As you were describing, being okay with being different, like embracing diversity, thinking for myself. Speaking up when something's wrong. Those are the core attributes of a successful entrepreneur. It's like you were born to be an entrepreneur too, because I just don't think with that type of value system, I think it really lends itself to the type of work that you're doing where you have the freedom to really create, speak up, share what's alive for you. And everything that you're doing is so tied to your mission and You know, one of the things that I really believe and I teach is that you are your business. You are the strategy. You simply being you, that's it. That's all you need. And I think, you know, your business and your brand has really blossomed, you know, over, you know, the last probably 5, 10 years because of this commitment that you have to like just being you and finding a way to build a business around that. So I love what you said in terms of your value system. System was truly born to be an entrepreneur. And then what's interesting, and I love when clients come to me and they're like, I've been sharing from my heart and I've gotten traction. And, you know, I'm— in your case, you were actually a public speaker, like that was what you were doing when you came to me, or you were just ending doing that. But you really, you didn't necessarily start a business, you just were sharing what deeply mattered to you.

Yeah, definitely. I, to be honest, I had had a bit of a resistance and even attitude to the business side of things, which is very common in a lot of activist spaces. And so I'd kind of ingrained this idea that it was wrong to make money from doing good in the world, which kind of is wild when I say it now. I'm like, why? Like, why shouldn't we be able to do something that contributes to the world and support ourselves at the same time? But for a long time, I was kind of, resistant to that approach and just wanted to, to be an activist and just share. And, um, but I will add both of my parents have kind of been entrepreneurs and neither of them has really worked my entire life a traditional corporate job either. So I did have that example of my whole family just kind of likes to do their own thing.

I love it. And you know, what do your parents do? What are their businesses?

My dad has been in sales for himself at different times. And it has been whatever latest product business partner he's partnered with. And he's just always had that like, oh, here's this new thing I'm doing. And he's also like flipped houses. And so it's kind of just a whole mix. And my mom was a stay-at-home mom slash author and writer and activist too.

Oh, I think I knew she was a writer. Did she do children's books or did I make that up? Okay, I made that up. Let's talk about The resistance to business. I think that's interesting because I think activists experience that, and I think also women experience that particularly. It's like, who am I to just sell the thing that I naturally am gifted at? You know, like, shouldn't I just be giving myself and being of service because that's the right thing to do? And it feels wrong or dirty or shameful to charge for that, much less charge significant amounts for that. So like, especially from the activist perspective, what's the deal with that resistance to business and how did you overcome that?

Yeah, it's, I mean, there's some people, particularly in the vegan movement, that very explicitly like tell people that and sort of attack and shame people, you know, and, and the ironic thing is it's men in several cases that are tenured professors. So they have this solid income and job and can say whatever they want without risk of losing their job. And then they do their activism on the free time when they're not teaching. And they're like, then going around telling everyone, telling women, telling other people, you shouldn't make money doing activism. You should just have a normal job and or whatever. And activism should just be given from your heart. And I'm like, well, that's easy for you to say when you're a tenured professor at a university. That's not really my situation. And so it was just kind of becoming more critical of that narrative and seeing other successful female entrepreneurs that were doing ethical business and realizing that those can go together. And then a lot of it for me was I had just, I really struggled with burnout and I had kind of gotten sick of the activist thing, sick of, not sick of the activist thing, but sick of banging my head against the wall, like begging people to listen, begging people to change. or do things that I was sort of asking them to do. Coming from this change the system perspective versus— where I am now is I actually feel like, at least for me, change is a lot more possible when I'm creating something good and positive that I'm inviting people to join in and step into versus like fighting the system.

Yeah.

And particularly for me, like, that was just very draining energetically. I was just very burnt out. And I wanted to find something where it felt like the enthusiasm and energy were sort of just flowing to it and people were excited by what I was offering.

I just had a mind blow emoji moment. I wrote down what you said. Change is possible when I'm creating something for people to step into versus fighting against a system. That's it. You know, whether you're an activist or you're an entrepreneur, you're selling— I don't know why I just thought of this— if you're selling like a breastfeeding solution, don't Don't fight against the ridiculous laws around maternal leave. Create a solution that people can rally behind. Don't complain about whatever percentage women make less than men. Don't complain about that. Create a program that helps women crush the average man's salary, you know?

Yeah.

And it's, it's, you did, instead of fighting the horrible way that animals are treated, especially in the US, that's a big battle. And instead create something that actually people can rally into and step into so that you're creating an entire movement.

Yeah.

And I think that was such a huge shift for you to have that flip. And we'll get into, I think, what created that flip for you. But everyone listening who's thinking, oh, I haven't started my business, or, you know, maybe you've kind of dipped your toe into your business, but you haven't really gone all in, I know that there's something that pisses you off or that frustrates you or that, you know, you wish was different in the world. And you probably spend a lot of time reposting people's stuff about that, complaining about it to your friends. Go create a product or service or offering that actually creates the opposite and supports ending what pisses you off versus fighting against the government, you know, fighting against— the patriarchy, whatever it might be. Like, I think that's such an empowering reframe and it really does go to show, like, you know this Serena from working with me, our approach to business is purpose first, prosperity will follow. Money's never the motive. And I think that when you're coming from that place, when you're coming from, I'm here to create lasting change, I'm here to create impact. Mm-hmm. The income is just a natural byproduct of that. And so I think it's important for people listening, like whether you're in advocacy work or in another realm, if you can flip your vision to be bigger than you and not make it about you're one person fighting against or for a cause, but just create something that people can step into, it's so much easier and more fun and more effective.

Absolutely. As is, I mean, the other thing I realized, there's been a lot going on in the vegan movement, you know, people writing and saying, oh, it's dying and this and that. And, you know, companies are going out of business. And I think there's this missing piece, which is people want joy in their lives and they want to join things that are fun and joyful and connecting, not something that's sad and depressing and angry. Because it's not just me. I've seen a lot of people that come into the movement and burn out very quickly. They go hard for a year or two and then they're done. And And I mean, that's more or less, that wasn't quite what happened with me cuz I'd been going and going for a very long time on different stuff, but I felt it too. It was like, it was lonely and isolating and I was tired of just banging my head against the wall on my own rather than finding something that was really fun and joyful to be a part of.

Totally. I think that that's one of the pillars of the Simple AF business approach. Let it be fun. No one wants to sign up for something that's heavy and dark and depressing. So if you, again, when you build your business rooted in purpose, your purpose is naturally expansive, high vibrational, you know, intended to change lives. Like, root yourself in that and your path will be so much more easeful down the road.

Yeah.

So you, you had, you were sharing on YouTube and Instagram and things like that, and then you became a motivational Like, that was your job for how long?

A couple years. I'd been teaching high school before that while I was doing YouTube. And then at the time it was like my dream job and actually a pretty magical opportunity where I had already told myself like, I'm only teaching one more year and then I wanna go full-time speaking no matter what. And when I sort of put that intention out to the universe, this opportunity kind of just fell into my lap where someone offered me a grant to quit teaching and travel around speaking. Full-time to schools and universities. And so—

How incredible is it that that just like— so again, everyone listening, if the dream is in you, it's for you. I always say that. And we'll get to kind of how you moved out of speaking, but like that was part of your curriculum. You were born to do that and to, to master that and have that experience. And we'll talk about, you know, kind of what you learned from it, but Why, like, because I think a lot of people relate to that. They just want to speak on stages. Why was that such a dream for you?

I had always loved public speaking. I really just, I had this passion for putting my ideas into the world and influencing people and, and really spreading my, my passion and my voice. And I also really liked the idea. Of people looking up to me as an authority and someone that, you know, oh, what do— what does she think about X, Y, and Z, and how would she respond to this? But yeah, it was really just— I've always been very attached to all the ideas in my head and the way I view things and have really just wanted to share those with other people.

I love that. And how was the experience? Weren't you living in your van?

Yeah. So I ended up—

Like, what was that journey? I mean, that must have been That's crazy. And were you do— you continued to do YouTube?

Yes. So I was doing like YouTube and content creation and then it, it got less as I actually started traveling and speaking in person and I shifted more to in person. And then I ended up getting a van that was also covered in like vegan information and educational stuff on the outside of it. And I lived out of it for a year and traveled around the country kind of on a speaking tour.

Oh, that's great.

It was, it was a wild experience. It was, it really, really pushed me out of my comfort zone, which I really needed at the time.

Yeah.

And it was also a big learning experience that I am not cut out for van life and I really like my modern comforts.

Yes.

Like having a bathroom and kitchen close by. So, but yeah, so I, I did it for a year and I, I did really enjoy it and I had some great experiences speaking to university classrooms and schools. But it wasn't— the hard part was because of my topic, there was still a lot of sort of banging my head against the wall trying to convince people to let me into their school or classroom. It didn't feel like people were begging for my message. It was, you know, not a necessarily at the time super pleasant or happy one. A lot of my presentations were, you know, here's the reality of our food system. Here's the reality of what happens to animals and the environment. Which of course not everybody wants to hear.

Right.

And so there was, there was still, I really enjoyed it and speaking was my passion at the time, but there was a lot of this resistance that I kept hitting. And I think that started to lead me, that and the traveling and, and kind of constant ungroundedness of being in the van for a year led me to feel pretty burned out by all of that and just kind of the, the activism, the lecture, the preaching approach in general, and really feeling a little bit lost and burnt out and like wanting something different.

What was like the craziest thing that happened to you on that journey?

You know, waking up in a Walmart parking lot at 3 AM and hearing screaming and random things out my door, or like being parked in a neighborhood and someone banging on my door at 2 AM that must have realized it was a camper van and someone was sleeping in there and just kind of like, "All right, I'm not opening the door. I'm not getting out. I'm not seeing who that is. We're just gonna try and sleep through this." And yeah, I had a couple times where I never— I know some people that actually like have been in their vehicles when it started to get towed.

Oh God.

That never happened to me. But just, it was also just this interesting experience because I was traveling by myself as a female. Just having to be hyper-aware of when I was getting in and out of my van and like, "Oh, if I'm getting in and out and I'm sort of camping and hanging out by my van, but then I'm gonna go sleep, I'm gonna now go drive to a different area so that no one around saw that I was sleeping, you know, in my van." So just like being hyper-aware of all of that.

And then like the next morning, you're having to like get up and go speak on a stage, you know?

Yep. Yep.

What a crazy experience. Experience. For women who are— I'm sure it, it could be painted as glamorous, but you're giving us like the behind the scenes. But for women who are like, God, I would love to do something like that, maybe minus the, the van or the, you know, parking lot tow and things like that, how would you get started? How would you recommend that people, if they're interested in speaking and they don't know where to start?

Honestly, I mean, I do think YouTube is a good place to get started. It doesn't always translate, I've learned. Like, there's lots of people that are very introverted and love speaking to a camera, but have zero interest or ability to speak to crowds. But I think even if you're just practicing it on your own, getting some videos out there, especially because a lot of people invite people based on their topic and what they're lecturing about. So if you have like, oh, hey, here's some of the content I make. Here's some of the things I speak about. And then start pitching yourself. Like if you, like, attend events that you're interested in, and then once you've attended a local veg fest or, you know, any kind of community event or something, and then it's happening again, say, hey, is there any chance, you know, I could talk about this topic? Or, you know, you kind of just— I, cause I mean, I started doing this even before, I mean, honestly, I was doing this when I was a kid and a teen, every once in a while I'd know someone and they'd be like, hey, you want to get up on stage for a few minutes? But then what I did is I filmed, I really got started, it was about, probably about 15 years ago when I was speaking at an event and I, the whole thing was filmed. And then I at least had this video of me speaking publicly on a stage that I could share and kind of pitch to other people. Cuz especially the higher caliber, this isn't so much true for university schools and classrooms. That's kind of a different situation. But for like speaking on stage at conferences and things like that, most of them want an example of your speaking ability and, and not just a YouTube video, but like an example of you speaking to a crowd. And so finding one opportunity where you can film that and then have something to share, I think is a great way to get started.

That's super helpful. And I think those are actionable steps for anyone listening who's like, I wanna do speaking. Now, it wasn't all rainbows and roses. You kind of got burned. Burnt out eventually, and you had a bit of like a come-to-Jesus moment, psychedelic intervention, where you just saw a new way. So like, take us into that moment.

Yeah, so I've been feeling pretty burnt out, drained, and just lost, and kind of really questioning like what happened to my passion. And I I was really questioning like, why do I not even seem interested in speaking? I had some speaking gigs still at the time and was just sort of almost, ugh, I don't wanna do this. This doesn't feel good or aligned right now. I'm not sure what to talk about. Just kind of all of that. And so I was almost questioning, should I just like go get a normal job and like literally not even keep trying to—

The dreaded moment of like, do I need to do what other normal people are doing?

Yeah. And that, it was like scary and I didn't even wanna think about it. It just, and I was just very, I was sad. About like, where did my passion go? Like, why don't I care? And I ended up doing like a solo mushroom trip by myself. And so I still have my van that I traveled around in and it was sitting in my driveway. And on this trip I ended up, I just felt compelled to go outside and I like sat down in front of my van and I just started sobbing and it just clicked. And it was like so clear to me in that instance that Born Vegan, the brand I'd created for myself, the— Yeah. The narrative of where I was speaking from, of I'm a lifelong vegan and this is why you should listen to me. And it was just like, oh, I put myself in a box. And the van very much represented that both, you know, metaphorically and like physically. It was like I was in this van, this box for a year, and I've wedded— I really had wedded my identity and, and sort of self-worth and everything all together with this brand and name for myself. And I realized that it was limiting and it just wasn't— it was like I was too attached to that idea of who I was, to the, "I'm this activist that doesn't, you know, make money," this and that. Just everything I'd sort of attached to that. And it was just really clear all of a sudden, "Oh, that's a box I put myself in. That's not me. I'm so much more than that. I don't have to be attached to that. I can branch out, do something different." And that really From that instant, it became clear. And I actually started thinking about selling my van shortly after that, which I couldn't even have considered before. I'd like so wrapped up my identity in this. And I still actually haven't sold the van, but it's a much more practical, like, I could. It doesn't have that emotional pull that it had of like, I could never consider selling this and giving up, you know, this identity and everything. And that just— I didn't immediately know what I was gonna do after that, but having that realization of like, It's okay if I go get a normal job. It's okay if I'm not Pat. It's okay if I do something else, or if I don't continue this YouTube channel or this, you know, under this name, or if I did rebrand or start something. Like, it just, it just opened up this sort of world of possibility mentally that I hadn't been accepting or ready for. And then— That was around that time was when I started thinking like, Yeah, I kind of want to organize a festival. And, um, and then I think shortly after that was when I saw you and it just, yeah. And then it all just kind of started flowing from there.

And, and we'll talk about, you know, like what, what we've done together over the last 8-ish months. But I think it's so important. I just want to back up. It's very easy to get attached to the vision that you had. And I think a lot of women, and I've experienced this, you know, over the last 10, 20 years, it's very, very scary when you start feeling that quiet whisper of like, "This isn't it." Mm-hmm. It starts as a whisper. It's like, "Something's gotta change. This doesn't feel right. This isn't how I want my life to be." It's like this whisper. And You know, I experienced it when I was kind of like at the peak of my career working in startups in New York City. And I was like, shut up, go away. Everything's good. I'm doing the things I said I would do. Like I'm making the money, I have the apartment, just let me keep going. But the more I tried to quiet that voice, the louder it got.

Mm-hmm.

And it really does take, for lack of a better term, kind of like this lightning bolt come to Jesus moment. Where it's just you see the vision of the other way and once you see it, you can't unsee it. And so I just, I feel called to just share for anyone who's maybe hearing that whisper, like it will only get louder. So you might as well start exploring like what are the alternatives or getting support like you did so that you can create that new way. We are designed to evolve and we get so attached to the identity that we've created because we're wired for safety. Your brain had wired since you were teaching in the high school, I'm gonna be a speaker. I'm, you know, going to be like a humble activist. I'm going to— here's what it's gonna look like. And you lived that. You did that. Like you did the dream and then the dream shifted. And I think the bravest thing that we can do for ourselves in this lifetime is to give ourselves themselves permission to step into the next dream. How did you find the strength to actually start making— it wasn't even making changes, you had to kind of create a new plan.

Yeah, I think it was just acceptance for me because I love doing that thing where I try and talk myself out of my feelings. I have that gut feeling and I'm like, nope, nope, nope, it's fine, I'm doing this, I'm gonna make this work, this is my dream job, you know. And so the mushroom trip really just kind of brought me to acceptance and sort of grieving the past identity and box I'd put myself in. And so I just really— I sat in that acceptance, and I let it be okay if I wasn't passionate about this, if I was gonna go do something different. Like, I just didn't try to force it and stopped trying to have that voice in my brain talk me out of my feelings. And in that space, I just— It's just like possibility kind of just opened up and I was able to— one, what helped is I got a part-time job, another situation where I wasn't looking for it actually at all.

You're a mega manifester. What's your Human Design?

I don't know. What?

Oh my gosh. Okay, well, you have to look that up. You are, but I'm kind of like that too. When it's right, it just falls in my lap.

Yeah, like I literally, I was sitting here going, should I get a normal job? I don't know. And I was still doing a little bit of speaking, things that I'd already agreed to at this point. And at a VegFest I was speaking at, some other people and a nonprofit were like, um, you know, like, wanna come work for us? And I was like, not really. And then I started thinking about it and I was like, well, you know, I am, you know, quitting this grant funding and traveling. So like, yeah, this, this could be good and helpful. And it actually ended up being an amazing fit. And I love who I'm working for and I'm very aligned with their mission and it's the perfect flexible part-time work remotely job. And so then I think in addition, I was already sitting in this space of acceptance, and then I got a job that made me much less stressed about the monetary aspect of things, because that had been this piece of like, oh, if I quit traveling around and speaking, I'm not going to have my grant funding to do this. What am I going to do? And so that just was like, oh, well, here's something. Now you can feel comfortable.

The investor in the dream, as we call it. I love when my Dream Accelerator girls have an investor in the dream.

Yes. And so, yeah, so I got that part-time job and then I had always had this idea of putting on a festival. Like that had been something I'd sort of been thinking about for 6 or 7 years, honestly. Like every time I went to these other vegan conferences, vegan festivals, I was sort of in my head thinking, well, if I did it, I would combine this element from this one and this element from this one. And I love this about this one. And I had 2019, I contemplated doing a different version, but another in-person, like, conference or event. And I almost started working with someone, and then that fell apart. So I've, like, sort of had this idea, and I think in 2022, I actually told someone, like, in a few years, next year, in a few years, like, at some point, I'm gonna organize— like, I was telling people I'm going to organize my own thing at some point.

Yeah.

So then, in this space of accepting that I was gonna be able to do something different, having the investor in my dream, then it was just like, okay, well, maybe now is actually the time. Like, let's actually do this.

And you did. I didn't realize that the festival— Fest Festival was like a 6-plus-year dream.

Yeah, it had been not this exact iteration of it, but there were—

Something like this. Yeah, that's— that is so cool. So it was a journey. Well, the first thing we did when you joined the Dream Accelerator, I feel like, is we had to kind of make your brand more cohesive so that people could see like, okay, you know, you're a vegan coach, you also are a community builder. Like we had to kind of build the brand so that it was more clear, like what you do, how you help people. We got your content going on social media in that direction. And then we started working on your first core product, which is the festival.

Mm-hmm.

And It was a journey. I mean, like, building that, you put so much into that. It was truly like birthing. How long did you design before? It was close to like 6 months plus or longer maybe.

I mean, yeah, it was the first month or two we're mostly searching for a venue. So I know like I signed a contract with a venue around January 1st last year, almost a year ago. And so then from there it was just flat out building and selling tickets and still constantly building and speakers and scheduling. And it was, yeah, pretty much going hard for 9 months.

It was incredible to witness your commitment and like your resilience through the process because with any live event similar to travel programs, group trips, there's a lot of factors, there's a lot of moving parts, there's a lot of different people involved, there's a lot of things that can What surprised you about putting this together?

So many things. I think the biggest thing that I know so much better, you know, for going forward, but I did go into it naive. I, I thought I had a lot of experience in event planning and organizing, but I'd never done something where I was like selling that high or expensive of tickets before and that many. And I truly didn't believe I was going to need to spend any money on marketing or have to try that hard to sell tickets. Tickets. Like, I think I really believed I'm gonna send one email out to my community and my contacts, and the early— the 50 early bird tickets are gonna sell out just like that, and I'm not gonna have to do anything. Like, I'm just gonna tell people I'm creating something that people want, and so I'm literally gonna send one email out and they're gonna buy tickets. And that did not happen.

And let's just like normalize that. You ended up having— well, did you have 200 people?

150.

150. Like, let's just normalize the fantasy that I think a lot of creators and business owners have of, you know, you send that initial email and it's just like the floodgates come open and there's hundreds of people. That happens, but more often it doesn't. And so I really appreciate you just like being honest about that was your, that was the vision and that didn't match the reality. But I would say like, it's more often that you do have to actually market and strategically bring people into your offer. And you know, you did that for a solid 6, 9 months. So what did you do that you feel like really got people activated and rallied around this mission?

I think people want community and when people started talking to each other and seeing, oh, so-and-so's going, oh, they're going. That's when I feel like people really started to get excited. It was, it was seeing who else was going, feeling like it was gonna be a cool thing with a bunch of cool people going. And I think, I mean, even so, people were, you know, kind of doing it on faith. This was a unique structure and setup and a brand new event. And I know from talking to people, a lot of people like truly did not know what to expect. And I've had several people and friends friends that they were helping us promote it. They were making content and saying they were gonna be there. And like since then they're like, now I get what it's actually all about.

Yeah.

Now I can promote it so much better for you because I was there and it was amazing and I just didn't fully understand the concept you were going for and things like that.

And I think that's also really valuable, you know, for anyone who's, whether it's their first round of a course, a program, a a retreat, a trip, like no matter what, a physical product. I always like to think of the first go as like, that's like your pilot. That's when you're basically creating the fans that are going to be talking about it and helping you spread the word. So again, your vision is, oh my God, everyone's just gonna instantly get it and like beat down the door to join. Not usually the reality. But remember, your first time is usually the hardest. because now you have 150 super fans that cannot wait to go to next year and you've already secured your venue. It's just so much easier. How much easier has it been for you, like, planning the second round, you know, the new iteration, the new vision that you're creating now that you know?

So much easier. Yes, so much. And I mean, there's a little bit of a learning curve because, you know, like shifting venues and stuff like that. But I feel like from here on out, so much is going to be so much easier. Like I already created all the, you know, workshop application forms and just all of the base stuff that I can just, you know, rinse and repeat.

Yeah. What is your vision for the next iteration, the new version of this fest? Because it's, you know, it's evolved and it's different. So like paint the vision now as it stands.

Yeah. So I've got this new venue that's a little bit nicer. But basically imagine 5 days. It's like kind of adult summer camp, a family-friendly summer camp smashed together with a health and wellness retreat and a music festival. It's like, I don't know.

Wow.

It's, it's very unique. So it's like 5 days of a group of individuals all coming together, staying either camping or staying in cabins, or we have a number of private, like, hotel-style suites. So there's— so it's like, if you want to be more in nature or you just want the cheap option, there's camping. If you're like, I want to be comfortable in an air-conditioned private room, there's that. And then we have 3 all-you-can-eat buffets served every single day that our volunteers and head chef actually cook on site. So it's not catered, it's not brought in. Mm-hmm. And it is the most vibrant, healthy, and delicious whole foods plant-based meals that are all, again, trying to sort of make everything as customizable as possible through all— so all the meals are kind of build your bowl style. So you have— it's like one meal served to everyone, but then you can choose which elements of it you want. And then eating together in a dining hall or going out and sitting in the grass overlooking the lakes, you know, soaking up the sun and eating your food. And then it— It's workshops from yoga, meditation, sound baths, cooking demos, to keynote speakers. And then in the evening, your headliner musicians come out, and then you end the night with, like, a drum circle and bonfire. So it's like every— everything all mixed together. Um, and then you've got kids running around doing kids' activities. So you kind of get to see— It's really this manifestation of The World as I'd Like to See It.

Yeah.

It's this beautiful, like, step into what the world could be for 5 days in this all-immersive, supportive, health-focused, passionate, empowering community. And you're also just literally getting to eat communal meals that you didn't have to make and cook and then go to a yoga class and then dance under the stars at night to conscious music. Sit around a bonfire, and it's like 5 days of this beautiful life.

Wow. That is the Vibrant Vegan Fest vision. It sounds epic. And it's just, it's so amazing to hear you and feel you when you talk about it because like I can feel like this is your purpose. You really feel, you really feel that. And like, it's just, it's such a joy to like work with you in bringing this into the world to even more people. How does it feel for you? Like, you've already done one, you're doing another, like the thing that you've dreamed about for like almost 10 years, it's like a thing. People are talking about it. How does that feel that like you've actually made that a reality in a very short amount of time, actually?

Magical. Like, I had a moment at the past festival in September where I had been on my walkie-talkie, like, running around and putting out fires all day. And it was the first time I was walking up onto the hill where we had our outdoor stage and our headliner musicians about to perform. And I hadn't been up there all day. And I just remember walking up there and seeing this gorgeous stage set up and lights. And, like, one of our, you know, volunteers was blowing bubbles, and people were, like, dancing with Flow Stars and things. Mm-hmm. And I had not seen this set up at all. I didn't even know. I was like, "I hope the stage guy got in okay. I hope our volunteers that were supposed to be there," you know? And so I just walked up, and it was like this magical moment of like, "Is this real? I created this? Like, it's working? People are having a blast. They seem so happy. I'm happy. Like, this is just beautiful." It was an indescribable feeling of, "I can't believe I actually created this." Yeah. This. And I can't believe other people see it the same way. Like, this isn't just, oh, I'm proud of what I did. This is like other people coming up to me saying, this is amazing. I've never been to a festival like this. This is the coolest thing ever. I'm having so much fun. Like, this is changing my life. And it feels magical.

I just like love hearing you talk about it. And I'm, I'm glad we're doing this. Because I feel like with your marketing for this one, like, we need to like record a video of you like describing it or something. Because it's like, if you don't want to join that, then something's wrong with you. I— one thing I really admire about you is that I feel like you've continually stepped into the seat of your purpose, even though it's evolved over the years. And I think that the aliveness that you feel around the festival and just like around the work that you're doing right now is something that— it's a gift. And a lot of people spend their whole lives not being able to touch that. And like, you're living it right now. So it's just amazing to see. And I'm so proud of You.

Thank you. Yeah, I'm very excited. I'm very excited. I pushed through, like, there were so many times over the last year where I was like, I may never wanna do this again. Yeah. Like, what am I doing?

I remember literally saying, let's just get through this year and then we'll evaluate. How did the Dream Accelerator support you in bringing this to life?

Yeah, I mean, there were so many times that I feel like I was saying that and feeling that way, and I think The biggest thing for me is I get very stuck in my head. I love to overthink things. I love to let the voice in my head take over and run wild. And I feel like the accountability and the being in a room and even just having you reframe, you know, when I've said things and you're like, okay, well, you know, the half in or half out energy, like this is what's draining, you know, are you going all in? And let's change your mindset. Like, for me, like, I know, I know all of that. I have done all the therapy, the mushrooms, the mindset work, the meditation. And but there's nothing that's the same as having that regular weekly accountability and not even realizing I've gotten stuck in my own head again. And, you know, and I come in, I feel like I would come in, I still do this with my overthinking and my this and that, expecting you to like tell me the answer within my thoughts. And instead you're like, okay, we got to shift the mindset you need. And I'm like, oh, I didn't even know that's what I needed. I thought it was all these thoughts in my head. And if you could just give me the right answer of how to do things, not, oh, it's my mindset. That's the problem and that I need to shift. And so I think that has been really helpful.

Yeah. And I, I'm glad you shared that because I think for so many women, like you actually know what you need to do. You're just overthinking, confusing, doubting, complicating, and talking yourself out of it. Of doing the things that you know you need to do. And then at times, you know, you don't know what to do. And so I think the, the beauty of the Dream Accelerator is that we work with both. We work with the energy, the mindset, and the strategy. And when you can really have that level of support on all three, it just expedites your growth process and gets you to where you want to go 10 times faster. So it's just been so amazing to witness your journey and, and in this interesting product. You know, a festival is a very unique product and it's something that I, I believe in personally. And I, even though I'm not vegan, but I have so many vegan clients and you know, I just love watching and supporting you and creating that. So I'm so excited for everything that's coming. Tell people like what's coming next. Where do they find you? Where do they sign up for the festival? Like all the things.

Yes. Vibrant Vegan Fest, uh, will be coming September early September 2026. It will again be 5 days, 4 nights, all inclusive. And you can learn more about it at vibrantveganfest.com and we'll have the lineup, the speakers, the, you know, scheduling and activities and all those details and how to get tickets will be on the website. Amazing.

And we'll link that in the show notes and we'll also link your Instagram so that as you have new offerings and new things going going on, people can follow you there and stay connected. Serena, thank you so much for coming on the show and just sharing your journey so vulnerably. I feel like people are really gonna resonate with so much of what you're saying and be so inspired by you creating your dream and making it a reality.

Thank you. Yeah, this was a good conversation and I hope it inspires somebody too.

Thank you for tuning in to the Prosperous Woman Podcast. I am so grateful for your presence and for being a part of this community. Feel free to DM me @itsclairesellers on Instagram. I would love to connect with you and hear what resonated with you in this episode. Forget to subscribe to the show, and if you enjoyed what you heard today, leave a 5-star review. Your feedback means the world to me and helps me reach more incredible women just like you. And because I love you, I would love to spoil you. Just DM me a screenshot of your review on Instagram, and I'll send you my free Prosperity Activation Course as a thank you. It's my way of investing in you and your dreams. Thank you.